scholarly journals Development of Two Animal Models To Study the Function of Vibrio parahaemolyticus Type III Secretion Systems

2010 ◽  
Vol 78 (11) ◽  
pp. 4551-4559 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pablo Piñeyro ◽  
Xiaohui Zhou ◽  
Lisa H. Orfe ◽  
Patrick J. Friel ◽  
Kevin Lahmers ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Vibrio parahaemolyticus is an emerging food- and waterborne pathogen that encodes two type III secretion systems (T3SSs). Previous studies have linked type III secretion system 1 (T3SS1) to cytotoxicity and T3SS2 to intestinal fluid accumulation, but animal challenge models needed to study these phenomena are limited. In this study we evaluated the roles of the T3SSs during infection using two novel animal models: a model in which piglets were inoculated orogastrically and a model in which mice were inoculated in their lungs (intrapulmonarily). The bacterial strains employed in this study had equivalent growth rates and beta-hemolytic activity based on in vitro assays. Inoculation of 48-h-old conventional piglets with 1011 CFU of the wild-type strain (NY-4) or T3SS1 deletion mutant strains resulted in acute, self-limiting diarrhea, whereas inoculation with a T3SS2 deletion mutant strain failed to produce any clinical symptoms. Intrapulmonary inoculation of C57BL/6 mice with the wild-type strain and T3SS2 deletion mutant strains (5 × 105 CFU) induced mortality or a moribund state within 12 h (80 to 100% mortality), whereas inoculation with a T3SS1 deletion mutant or a T3SS1 T3SS2 double deletion mutant produced no mortality. Bacteria were recovered from multiple organs regardless of the strain used in the mouse model, indicating that the mice were capable of clearing the lung infection in the absence of a functional T3SS1. Because all strains had a similar beta-hemolysin phenotype, we surmise that thermostable direct hemolysin (TDH) plays a limited role in these models. The two models introduced herein produce robust results and provide a means to determine how different T3SS1 and T3SS2 effector proteins contribute to pathogenesis of V. parahaemolyticus infection.

2002 ◽  
Vol 184 (21) ◽  
pp. 5966-5970 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah E. Burr ◽  
Katja Stuber ◽  
Thomas Wahli ◽  
Joachim Frey

ABSTRACT Aeromonas salmonicida subsp. salmonicida, the etiological agent of furunculosis, is an important fish pathogen. We have screened this bacterium with a broad-host-range probe directed against yscV, the gene that encodes the archetype of a highly conserved family of inner membrane proteins found in every known type III secretion system. This has led to the identification of seven open reading frames that encode homologues to proteins functioning within the type III secretion systems of Yersinia species. Six of these proteins are encoded by genes comprising a virA operon. The A. salmonicida subsp. salmonicida yscV homologue, ascV, was inactivated by marker replacement mutagenesis and used to generate an isogenic ascV mutant. Comparison of the extracellular protein profiles from the ascV mutant and the wild-type strain indicates that A. salmonicida subsp. salmonicida secretes proteins via a type III secretion system. The recently identified ADP-ribosylating toxin AexT was identified as one such protein. Finally, we have compared the toxicities of the wild-type A. salmonicida subsp. salmonicida strain and the ascV mutant against RTG-2 rainbow trout gonad cells. While infection with the wild-type strain results in significant morphological changes, including cell rounding, infection with the ascV mutant has no toxic effect, indicating that the type III secretion system we have identified plays an important role in the virulence of this pathogen.


2003 ◽  
Vol 185 (11) ◽  
pp. 3480-3483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anand Sukhan ◽  
Tomoko Kubori ◽  
Jorge E. Galán

ABSTRACT An essential component of type III secretion systems (TTSS) is a supramolecular structure termed the needle complex. In Salmonella enterica, at least four proteins make up this structure: InvG, PrgH, PrgK, and PrgI. Another protein, PrgJ, is thought to play a role in the assembly of this structure, but its function is poorly understood. We have analyzed the expression and localization of PrgJ and the needle protein PrgI in different S. enterica serovar Typhimurium mutant strains. We found that the levels of PrgI and PrgJ were significantly reduced in a TTSS-deficient invA mutant strain and that the decreased levels were due to protein instability. In addition, we found that PrgJ, although associated with the needle complex in wild-type S. enterica serovar Typhimurium, was absent from needle complexes obtained from an invJ mutant strain, which exhibits very long needle substructures. We suggest that PrgJ is involved in capping the needle substructure of the needle complex.


Microbiology ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 156 (9) ◽  
pp. 2770-2781 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda L. S. Wisner ◽  
Taseen S. Desin ◽  
Birgit Koch ◽  
Po-King S. Lam ◽  
Emil M. Berberov ◽  
...  

Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis) has been identified as a significant cause of salmonellosis in humans. Salmonella pathogenicity islands 1 and 2 (SPI-1 and SPI-2) each encode a specialized type III secretion system (T3SS) that enables Salmonella to manipulate host cells at various stages of the invasion/infection process. For the purposes of our studies we used a chicken isolate of S. Enteritidis (Sal18). In one study, we orally co-challenged 35-day-old specific pathogen-free (SPF) chickens with two bacterial strains per group. The control group received two versions of the wild-type strain Sal18: Sal18 attTn7 : : tet and Sal18 attTn7 : : cat, while the other two groups received the wild-type strain (Sal18 attTn7 : : tet) and one of two mutant strains. From this study, we concluded that S. Enteritidis strains deficient in the SPI-1 and SPI-2 systems were outcompeted by the wild-type strain. In a second study, groups of SPF chickens were challenged at 1 week of age with four different strains: the wild-type strain, and three other strains lacking either one or both of the SPI-1 and SPI-2 regions. On days 1 and 2 post-challenge, we observed a reduced systemic spread of the SPI-2 mutants, but by day 3, the systemic distribution levels of the mutants matched that of the wild-type strain. Based on these two studies, we conclude that the S. Enteritidis SPI-2 T3SS facilitates invasion and systemic spread in chickens, although alternative mechanisms for these processes appear to exist.


2012 ◽  
Vol 78 (9) ◽  
pp. 3492-3494 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaohui Zhou ◽  
Seth D. Nydam ◽  
Jeffrey E. Christensen ◽  
Michael E. Konkel ◽  
Lisa Orfe ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTWe employed a heterologous secretion assay to identify proteins potentially secreted by type III secretion systems (T3SSs) inVibrio parahaemolyticus. N-terminal sequences from 32 proteins within T3SS genomic islands and seven proteins from elsewhere in the chromosome included proteins that were recognized for export by theYersinia enterocoliticaflagellar T3SS.


2013 ◽  
Vol 79 (10) ◽  
pp. 3303-3305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alisha M. Aagesen ◽  
Sureerat Phuvasate ◽  
Yi-Cheng Su ◽  
Claudia C. Häse

ABSTRACTVibrio parahaemolyticuscan resist oyster depuration, suggesting that it possesses specific factors for persistence. We show that type I pili, type IV pili, and both flagellar systems contribute toV. parahaemolyticuspersistence in Pacific oysters whereas type III secretion systems and phase variation do not.


2002 ◽  
Vol 184 (13) ◽  
pp. 3433-3441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juana Magdalena ◽  
Abderrahman Hachani ◽  
Mustapha Chamekh ◽  
Noureddine Jouihri ◽  
Pierre Gounon ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Type III secretion systems (TTSS) are essential virulence determinants of many gram-negative bacteria and serve, upon physical contact with target cells, to translocate bacterial proteins directly across eukaryotic cell membranes. The Shigella TTSS is encoded by the mxi/spa loci located on its virulence plasmid. By electron microscopy secretons are visualized as tripartite with an external needle, a transmembrane domain, and a cytoplasmic bulb. In the present study, we generated a Shigella spa32 mutant and studied its phenotype. The spa32 gene shows low sequence homology to Salmonella TTSS1 invJ/spaN and to flagellar fliK. The spa32 mutant, like the wild-type strain, secreted the Ipas and IpgD, which are normally secreted via the TTSS, at low levels into the growth medium. However, unlike the wild-type strain, the spa32 mutant could neither be induced to secrete the Ipas and IpgD instantaneously upon addition of Congo red nor penetrate HeLa cells in vitro. Additionally, the Spa32 protein is secreted in large amounts by the TTSS during exponential growth but not upon Congo red induction. Interestingly, electron microscopy analysis of the spa32 mutant revealed that the needle of its secretons were up to 10 times longer than those of the wild type. In addition, in the absence of induction, the spa32 mutant secreted normal levels of MxiI but a large excess of MxiH. Taken together, our data indicate that the spa32 mutant presents a novel phenotype and that the primary defect of the mutant may be its inability to regulate or control secretion of MxiH.


2019 ◽  
Vol 85 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Li Liu ◽  
Tian Tian He ◽  
Lu Yi Liu ◽  
Jia Yi ◽  
Pin Nie ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The type III secretion system (T3SS) is one of the most important virulence factors of the fish pathogen Edwardsiella piscicida. It contains three translocon proteins, EseB, EseC, and EseD, required for translocation of effector proteins into host cells. We have previously shown that EseB forms filamentous appendages on the surface of E. piscicida, and these filamentous structures mediate bacterial cell-cell interactions promoting autoaggregation and biofilm formation. In the present study, we show that EseC, but not EseD, inhibits the autoaggregation and biofilm formation of E. piscicida. At 18 h postsubculture, a ΔeseC strain developed strong autoaggregation and mature biofilm formation, accompanied by enhanced formation of EseB filamentous appendages. This is in contrast to the weak autoaggregation and immature biofilm formation seen in the E. piscicida wild-type strain. EseE, a protein that directly binds to EseC and also positively regulates the transcription of the escC-eseE operon, was liberated and showed increased levels in the absence of EseC. This led to augmented transcription of the escC-eseE operon, thereby increasing the steady-state protein levels of intracellular EseB, EseD, and EseE, as well as biofilm formation. Notably, the levels of intracellular EseB and EseD produced by the ΔeseE and ΔeseC ΔeseE strains were similar but remarkably lower than those produced by the wild-type strain at 18 h postsubculture. Taken together, we have shown that the translocon protein EseC inhibits biofilm formation through sequestering EseE, a positive regulator of the escC-eseE operon. IMPORTANCE Edwardsiella piscicida, previously known as Edwardsiella tarda, is a Gram-negative intracellular pathogen that mainly infects fish. The type III secretion system (T3SS) plays a pivotal role in its pathogenesis. The T3SS translocon protein EseB is required for the assembly of filamentous appendages on the surface of E. piscicida. The interactions between the appendages facilitate autoaggregation and biofilm formation. In this study, we explored the role of the other two translocon proteins, EseC and EseD, in biofilm formation. We have demonstrated that EseC, but not EseD, inhibits the autoaggregation and biofilm formation of E. piscicida, providing new insights into the regulatory mechanism involved in E. piscicida biofilm formation.


2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felix Scheibner ◽  
Nadine Hartmann ◽  
Jens Hausner ◽  
Christian Lorenz ◽  
Anne-Katrin Hoffmeister ◽  
...  

Pathogenicity of the gram-negative bacterium Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria depends on a type III secretion (T3S) system, which translocates effector proteins into plant cells. Effector proteins contain N-terminal T3S and translocation signals and interact with the T3S chaperone HpaB, which presumably escorts effectors to the secretion apparatus. The molecular mechanisms underlying the recognition of effectors by the T3S system are not yet understood. In the present study, we analyzed T3S and translocation signals in the type III effectors XopE2 and XopJ from X. campestris pv. vesicatoria. Both effectors contain minimal translocation signals, which are only recognized in the absence of HpaB. Additional N-terminal signals promote translocation of XopE2 and XopJ in the wild-type strain. The results of translocation and interaction studies revealed that the interaction of XopE2 and XopJ with HpaB and a predicted cytoplasmic substrate docking site of the T3S system is not sufficient for translocation. In agreement with this finding, we show that the presence of an artificial HpaB-binding site does not promote translocation of the noneffector XopA in the wild-type strain. Our data, therefore, suggest that the T3S chaperone HpaB not only acts as an escort protein but also controls the recognition of translocation signals.


2007 ◽  
Vol 73 (24) ◽  
pp. 7934-7946 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald L. Thune ◽  
Denise H. Fernandez ◽  
Jennifer L. Benoit ◽  
Maria Kelly-Smith ◽  
Matthew L. Rogge ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Edwardsiella ictaluri is the leading cause of mortality in channel catfish culture, but little is known about its pathogenesis. The use of signature-tagged mutagenesis in a waterborne infection model resulted in the identification of 50 mutants that were unable to infect/survive in catfish. Nineteen had minitransposon insertions in miscellaneous genes in the chromosome, 10 were in genes that matched to hypothetical proteins, and 13 were in genes that had no significant matches in the NCBI databases. Eight insertions were in genes encoding proteins associated with virulence in other pathogens, including three in genes involved in lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis, three in genes involved in type III secretion systems (TTSS), and two in genes involved in urease activity. With the use of a sequence from a lambda clone carrying several TTSS genes, Blastn analysis of the partially completed E. ictaluri genome identified a 26,135-bp pathogenicity island containing 33 genes of a TTSS with similarity to the Salmonella pathogenicity island 2 class of TTSS. The characterization of a TTSS apparatus mutant indicated that it retained its ability to invade catfish cell lines and macrophages but was defective in intracellular replication. The mutant also invaded catfish tissues in numbers equal to those of invading wild-type E. ictaluri bacteria but replicated poorly and was slowly cleared from the tissues, while the wild type increased in number.


2005 ◽  
Vol 73 (11) ◽  
pp. 7161-7169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian K. Coombes ◽  
Bryan A. Coburn ◽  
Andrew A. Potter ◽  
Susantha Gomis ◽  
Kuldip Mirakhur ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT We have developed a novel ileal loop model for use in calves to analyze the contribution of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium type III secretion systems to disease processes in vivo. Our model involves constructing ileal loops with end-to-end anastamoses to restore the patency of the small intestine, thereby allowing experimental animals to convalesce following surgery for the desired number of days. This model overcomes the time constraint imposed by ligated ileal loop models that have precluded investigation of Salmonella virulence factors during later stages of the infection process. Here, we have used this model to examine the enteric disease process at 24 h and 5 days following infection with wild-type Salmonella and mutants lacking the virulence-associated Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 (SPI-1) or SPI-2 type III secretion systems. We show that SPI-2 mutants are dramatically attenuated at 5 days following infection and report a new phenotype for SPI-1 mutants, which induce intestinal pathology in calves similar to wild-type Salmonella in the 5-day ileal loop model. Both of these temporal phenotypes for SPI-1 and SPI-2 mutants were corroborated in a second animal model of enteric disease using streptomycin-pretreated mice. These data delineate novel phenotypes for SPI-1 and SPI-2 mutants in the intestinal phase of bovine and murine salmonellosis and provide working models to further investigate the effector contribution to these pathologies.


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